Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The night was filled with highs and lows for the Rockstar
Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team at the fifth round of AMA
Supercross, held at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday in
Glendale, Arizona. After the high of putting Husqvarna in the second and
third qualifying spots in 450 practice, Jason Anderson and Christophe
Pourcel had to work through the pack to redeem themselves from mid-pack
starts in the main. Zach Osborne, a title contender in 250SX West, was
forced to end his night early due to a huge pileup early in the main.

Jason Anderson, third fastest in practice, was quickly making his way
to the front of the pack in his heat before going down in the second
lap. He remounted mid-pack and finished sixth. He started in the top
five in his semi and was closing in on the leader, teammate Christophe
Pourcel, with two laps to go. He made the pass for the lead in the
whoops and held on for the win and a coveted spot in the 450 main.
Anderson has never finished outside the top five so far this season, so
when he started around 10th in the main he immediately
started making moves in order to navigate his Husqvarna FC 450 to the
front of the pack. He picked off multiple riders and made impressive
passes in order to work his way up to a fourth place finish.

“I’m riding well and am always trying to move forward,” said Anderson. “I
just need to work on a couple things that will help me get up front
faster and put in consistent laps. The track was pretty tough this
weekend, especially the whoops. It was technical and tight, which made
it hard to make up time. I ended up having to capitalize on other’s
mistakes. I was also searching for traction all night because it was so
slick. I just need to figure out how to keep my laps fast with
deteriorating track conditions.”

Christophe Pourcel, second fastest in practice aboard his Husqvarna
FC 450, pulled a mid pack start in his heat and just couldn’t find his
rhythm. He eventually finished outside qualifying position and was
forced to earn a spot in the main via the 450 semi. He earned the
holeshot in his semi before battling for the position with his teammate
Jason Anderson. He eventually conceded the position to Anderson and
finished second to earn a transfer spot in the main. He started in the
back of the pack in the main and worked his way up to a 13th place finish.

“The start was super slippery,” said Pourcel. “I just
couldn’t get going fast enough, and it seemed like the track was so
rough. I made a couple passes but still struggled. I almost crashed a
few times, but was just a little slower than the other guys. The whoops
were pretty steep and slick towards the end, which made it hard to carry
momentum. I had a good ride in my semi, though. I got a good start and
got to ride with Jason, which is good. I still feel like I’m going in
the right direction.”

Zach Osborne has been in the 250SX West title hunt all season. He was
on the move in his heat after he pulled a top five start before pushing
his Husqvarna FC 250 into the lead in the third lap. He made a mistake
while in the lead, causing him to move back to sixth before making his
way up to a fifth place transfer spot. Unfortunately, he went down and
got landed on in the beginning of the main and was unable to complete
the race. He is expected to return next week in San Diego.

“I was prepared to fight today, even though I was a little sick,” said Osborne. “It
ended up being a big disappointment for me. I just wanted to get a good
start in the main so I could get back on the podium, but I ended up
getting tangled with another rider coming out of the second turn and
then got landed on. I think I’m ok. I should be good to race next week
in San Diego.”